Tamil leaders oppose TNA's proposal

By P.R Krishmaswamy

The talks between the Government and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) that began in May 2011 ended in a deadlock after its 18th round, two weeks ago due to what President Mahinda Rajapaksa has termed as the TNA’s rigid LTTE mindset.

Minister Douglas Devananda	Minister A.L.M. Athaulla	Deputy Minister M.L.A.M. Hisbullah	Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan

Of the three primary demands of the TNA - land and police powers and unification of the North and East, some form of consensus could be worked out of the first two but the “re-unification issue seemed insurmountable”, since much water has flown under the bridge since the signing of the Indo-Lanka Peace Agreement in 1987 that conditionally recommended it, participants at the talks said on conditions of anonymity.

The sources said that talks on devolving police powers on a community level and land powers on centre-province mutual consent basis was making some headway.

The Northern and Eastern provinces were temporarily merged as the Northeastern province under the Indo-Lanka Peace Agreement of 1987 but was de-merged after a Supreme Court ruling on October 16, 2006 and elections for a separate Eastern Provincial Council was held on May 10, 2008. The Agreement which does not have any conclusive clause with regard to the unification, says that:

“There will be a referendum to decide whether the Eastern province should remain linked with the Northern province as one as one administrative unit or to decide whether the Eastern province should constitute a separate administrative unit having its own distinct Provincial Council.”

A majority of the political stakeholders of the Tamil-speaking minority communities in the Eastern province expressed their strong opposition to the re-unification of the Eastern Province with the Northern Province.

The Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal (TMVP) led by the present Chief Minister of the Eastern Provincial Council, Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan a.k.a. Pillayan, the National Congress (NC) led by Minister A.L.M. Athaulla and the All Ceylon National Congress (ACNC) led by Minister Rishad Bathuideen stand vehemently opposed to a re-merger.

These parties have considerable representation in the local government bodies in the province and control some of them.

Deputy Minister and national organiser of the ACNC M.L.A.M. Hisbullah told the Sunday Observer that blood bath and ethnic tension was the order of the day before the de-merger.

Communities were attacking each other and many thousands got killed and injured.

But now brotherhood, peace and harmony prevailed in the province. Their party being a constituent of the UPFA will not allow the re-merger of the two provinces under any circumstances, he said.

The other major Muslim party in the province, the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), led by Minister Rauff Hakeem, which too has a considerable representation in the Council and controls several local government bodies is ambivalent on the question of re-merger.

The party has stated that the Muslim community should be given an independent unit of devolution, annexing the non-contiguous areas of their domicile in the two provinces, irrespective of a merger or otherwise.

At a meeting on Thursday with the SLMC, the TNA leaders have given them an assurance that they will not take any decision with regard to devolution of powers without consulting the SLMC and their consent.

Leader of the Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) Minister Douglas Devananda speaking to the Sunday Observer said that it is up to the people of the Eastern province to decide whether or not the two provinces should be merged.

The TNA missed many rare opportunities that were offered in the past as a stepping stone towards resolving the problem and they should not repeat it, he said.

The participation of all parties of the minorities, including the TNA, is necessary to work out a solution, he said.